Miami Heat Interested in Zoran Dragic

Much of what a modern NBA point guard has to do is influenced by the international game. Point guards can’t just bring the ball up the court, touch their hand to the top of their head* and run an impromptu pick-and-roll and hope for the best.

Instead, guys like Mike D’Antoni and Gregg Popovich have introduced international principals that demand more of their point guards to execute a series of complex pick-and-rolls and screens. It can be a lot for guys to handle, and the Heat haven’t asked that of Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole.

The last four seasons, as the Heat introduced more and more complex offensive schemes, LeBron James had been the primary ball handler in crunch time. Still, with so much talent Erik Spoelstra didn’t need to go to the levels of the Spurs to get open looks. Without James, they will likely have to add more wrinkles.

So with Chalmers, Cole and Napier the point guards on the roster, the Heat may do well to sign an international guard capable of making these plays. They have certainly gotten a look at some if they have been watching the FIBA World Cup. According to Shams Charania of RealGM, the team is interested in Zoran Dragic–younger brother of breakout star Goran Dragic.

"Behind a resurgent desire to pursue the NBA culminating in a successful World Cup showing, Slovenian shooting guard Zoran Dragic has maintained discussions with the four teams interested in signing him for next season: the Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and Orlando Magic, league sources told RealGM.Dragic, the younger brother of Goran Dragic, had 11 points and five rebounds in 28 minutes against the United States national team on Tuesday. He has informed teams of an Oct. 5 buyout deadline in the language of his contract with Unicaja Malaga of the European League, a source told RealGM.Dragic, a 6-foot-5 product, has received NBA interest in past summers, and he played for the Houston Rockets’ summer league team in 2012. Several NBA organizations have scouted him throughout the World Cup, sources said, and several new inquiries are placed per day."

Adding Dragic, a solid scorer in his own right, would make a lot of sense given that he fits a need for the Heat as someone who can facilitate the offense. But signing him to one of the 15 regular season roster spots would likely mean parting ways with one of the point guards already on the team, or reassigning one as an off-ball guard since the position would be back logged. Or the Heat could always send Napier to the D-League or overseas.

* The international sign to set a pick.